The Hawaiian gazette., 1887-04-19
A Ghastly V1yage,
" ENR Ri

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I was in Nassau Tor several months
81 he interest of the Confederate
Government; and among the queer
things which happened in that con.
: necbon was the arrival Of q couple 81
men with an invention which they de
sired TO sell TO the c. s. A.
1t was about the time that torpe-
pedoes were coming into use in ON
Southern bays and rivers, and when
1.-THE Federals had frightened their grip
ION the blockade SO that not more than
one runner ont OF SIX could get IN.
These strangers had invented sub
marine torpedo boat. One was 8
Frenchman and the other English. the
work had been done IN England. The
boat was brought 10 Nassau by Brit
ISL steamer, and 1t was there that the
Confederate Government were invited
TO examine ker. The boat was sup
posed TO have been constructed on
scientific principles. She was Of iron.
20 feet lone, feet beam. and little
over ( feet depth OF hold. She was
propelled by an atmospheric engine,
and was intended TO make her way IN
any direction below the surface. In
attacking & vessel she would sink be
low her, attach 4 torpedo to her bot
tom, and then back of and explode 1t
by electricity Just how the torpedo
was 70 be attached can't tell you.
though II was plainly illustrated at
the time.
The boat arrived al Nassau IN pieces,
and for fear that some OF the Federal
spies IN the port would get on to the
Hnvention. the boxes were carted of
up the country to q sea shore planta-
ton, and II WAS there that We found
the boat after she had been put to-
gether- That she would run on the
surface and below 1t was demonstrated
TO our satisfaction IN q few hours.
Steering by compass when below the
surface, she preserved q course as
straight as an arrow, making a speed
of ten or twelve miles an hour. and
remaining below some forty to sixty
minutes. The problem Of how to get
nd OF the Federal kloekaders seemed
70 have been solved, With such &
boat as that IN Charleston harbOr the
whole Yankee feet would be terror
lied.
The only points upon which we had
doubts was the working OF the tor
pedo. II that failed TO work. then the
boat was Of little use. The inventors
had not Yet made q practical torpedo
test. and they seemed TO hesitate
However, when they were told that
the success Of q sale depended upon q
practical illustration, they asked for
two or three days time l presume
they made experiments during this
interval, for when We visited them
again they We're quite prepared. An
old schooner had been towed up from
Nassau and anchored & mile of shore
4, IN seventy feet Of water, and they We're
70 practice On her. They seemed TO
have perfect confidence in themselves
as they shut themselves 10 in the boat
and sank below the surface. and We
had very little doubt Of their success.
There wasn't q ripple by which We
could trace the progress Of the boat,
and after giving her twelve minutes
time We began TO expect the explosion.
We waited q full hour, and were then
satisfied that something was wrong.
After two hours had gone by a couple
OF men rowed of TO the schooner, but
nc signs Of the torpedo boat could be
seen Three weeks later the boat was
washed up on the shore OF one Of the
small islands to the south The was
bent, and bruised. and broken. and in
her hold the eorpses of the two in
yentors were washing about The
torpedo had not exploded, but the en-
CINE had broken down. and the poor
fellows had lain at the bottom of the
sea until their fresh air was exhausted.
and then died horrible death.